Signaling device for looms and the like



Aug. 4, 1953 lTC Fl ms G. F. LEAGUE SIGNALING DEVICE FOR LOOMS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 29, 1951 STGOKE PICK EIAKE TEMPLE 10w! F/IIIJ CHECK P/cknas Pure .rr/cx Mill .St'! manna/ma IZZY/1E Kill/i llfiflll INVENTOR.

BY ZW'MM ATTORNEY5.

GEWGE flaw [54604 Patented Aug. 4, 1953 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE SIGNALING DEVICE FORLOOMS AND. THE LIKE This invention relates to a signalling device or indicator and more especially to an improved signalling device adapted to be mounted on a machine, such as a loom or the like, and having manually movable means which may be manipulated to vary the attitude of the movable means to indicate that a particular machine is not operating satisfactorily.

Heretofore, it has been the practice in many textile plants to use loose objects or loose parts of a machine which were conspicuously positioned by the operator of the machine to-serve as a warning to the mechanic r fixer of the machine that it was not operating satisfactorily. This makeshift practice has proved expensive due to the fact that the vibration of an operating machine has often caused the parts used as an indicating medium to fall into the machine thus resulting in damage to the machine as well as the parts utilized as a signalling device. Also, the parts heretofore used as a signalling device have fallen to the floor, in many instances, resulting in damage to the parts as well as to the floor.

Another objection to the types of signalling devices heretofore employed is thatsuch signalling devices have lacked in uniformity "and have not clearly indicated the particular part of the machine which may not be operating satisfactorily.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide an improved signalling device or indicator for summoning operators or an appropriate workman when repairs are required to textile machinery or when a particular machine is not operating satisfactorily and having means associated with the signalling device for specifically designating the nature of the repairs to be made. I

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved signalling device comprising a standard which may be secured to a relatively high or conspicuous portion of a textile machine, such as a loom or the like, and the standard being provided with a notch or slot in the upper end thereof in which a plurality of rigid vanes, leaves or flags of different colors are disposed. The standard has a pivot pin or shaft therein and each of the flags has a longitudinally extending slot therein slidably penetrated by the pivot pin for supporting the flags.

2 Claims. (Cl. 116-132) over the wedge-shaped projection in the bottom of the notch in the standard for holding the vanes or flags in an upright position. Thus, the flags may be raised out of engagement with the wedgeshaped projection and normally permitted to depend from the pivot pin in order to project downwardly and outwardly at an angle when the machine is operating satisfactorily and, upon the occurrence of an adverse condition of the machine, the flag of the desired color may be positioned in an upright position to thus indicate to a particular class of workmen that the adverse condition exists.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an improved signalling device comprisin a standard, on one vertical face of which a plurality of parallel superposed rows of indicia are provided and wherein each row of indicia indicates a particular element or combination of elements on the machine. The standard is provided with a row of holes or cavities, there being at least one of these holes adjacent each of the rows of indicia, and a suitable indicating element, such as a pin or peg, may be inserted in any one of the cavities to thereby indicate to the repair-man the particular element or combination of elements on a machine which may not be functioning properly.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved signalling device mounted on a part of a textile machine such as the arch of a loom and showing all of the vanes or flags in a vertical or raised position;

Figure 2 is an elevation looking at therighthand side of the signalling device shown in Figure 1 but being shown at a reduced scale and showing some of the flags or vanes in a lowered position and showing the arch of the m in crosssection;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevation similar to the upper portion of Figure 2 with parts broken away and showing a modified form of vane or flag mounted on the standard;

Figure 4 is an enlarged elevation showing one of the modified forms of vanes or flags disassociated from the standard.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the original form of the invention is shown in Figures 1 and 2 wherein the improved signalling device is shown mounted on a portion of a textile machine such as the arch of a loom indicated at Ill. The signalling device comprises a standard or upright member, broadly designated at I l which may be of any desired shape in cross-section but is preferably provided with a flat front face l2. This vertical Or front face I2 is provided with a legend in the form of a plurality of vertically spaced items or horizontal rows of indicia thereon, wherein each horizontal row identifies a particular element or combination of elements on the particular machine on which the signalling device is mounted. The standard i i may be secured to the arch ill by any suitable means such as a bolt E3. The uppenportion. of the standard is provided with a slot defined-by side walls It and i5 and the bottom of this notch has a projection i5 integral therewithwwhichis preferably wedge-shaped or triangularlyeshaped and the sharp edge of which faces upwardly.

A plurality of substantially rigid vanes,i-1eaves or flags, designated generally at H, of varying lengths are slidably mounted'between ,-the-.$ide .walls M and is on a shaft is twhichiis shown the form of a rivet'carried-by'thaside wallsid .and15. There are. four flags shown in Fi ures ,1 and 2 which are indicated individually ratllra, .Hb, 11c and lid. The lower portionof :each .of the flagsorvanes il has-avertically ,or longitudinally extending slot 69 therein-which is. slid- .ably penetrated by theshaft lttothus permit each of the vanes or flags it to be raisedeand lowered on the pivot shaft it; and taalso be pivoted thereon. The lower-edge ofeach-pfthe-vanes or flags ll, when in the vertical OrcllDIighi/UDGSP .tion inwhich the vane ila isehoWn inFigure 1, .is provided with-an inverted substantially .V-

shaped or triangular notch thereinwhich is en- ;gaged'by the projection It to maintain the. corresponding flag or vanein arverticalorupright position.

When any one or more of the flagsortvanes [-1 -are inthe upright position,. since ,the-flagsror vanes H are of different colors; each of thezdif- ,ferent flags will indicate .that-difierentztypescf "classes of repairs need to be made onth-e machine so'the repair-Inanis advisedin advance-,ofappreaching, machine as to theqtype ofzequipment which Will be required -to repair the 1 machine or, if several different repair-men;performiardif- :fGIGIli) class .ofrepairs on each machine, the; par- .ticular flag or-vane El which .is-in the-upright position will serve as-anindicatornas to -which class of repair-man is required to repair ..the

machine.

The flags or vanes i larcofvarying .lengtheto enable the operator of the machine to-easily :grasp the 'fiagsrindependently' cfeeachzother for raising and lowering the same although theymay -be :disp-Qsed in horizontal =.-a1inement -.;with each other. Also, by providing flags-or vanes. of varying: lengths, it is possible for: the op 1'ator,to v posi- -tion more than one-flag in anuprightpositionto indicate that more than one classor .typeof repair must be made to the machine.

It will beqobserved in Figurez .thatxthe stand- ;ard I! is provided with a vertically-extending row of cavities or bores '24 in-oneisiole-thereof, there being one of these bores providedrinzthe horizontal plane of each of the vertically -arranged horizontal rows of indicia provided on the face i 2 of the standard H. lf sodesi-red this row of cavities 25 maybe provided inthe .face l2 oniwhich the indicia appears, however, this row ofcavities is shown in face of the standard adjacent the face I2 on which the indicia is provided.

ationing improperly on the machine. addition =t-o summoning the proper vane H to the upright position, the repairman milhalsobeadvised as to the particular element or (combination of elements on the machine which are not operating satisfactorily upon reaching theamachine.

.The ..particu1ar indicia shown on the face [2 of the standard Il'in Figure 1 is arranged in onderntozuse the signalling device on a loom. However, it is to be understood that other inidiciamaybe provided on the face IQ of the istandard II in the event that the improved signailing device is used with other types of machines tsuchdas spinning frames,carding ma- -chinesand the like.

.Itisthus .seenthat, in. order to lower any one .oithefiaes or-vanes it from the upright. position in which vane l'ia. is shownv in Figure l to the inclined position. in which the vanes. lib, lie and 17d are. shown, it is .nierelynecessary for the operator. toraise the corresponding flag or vane ..l1.sufiiciently so the-inverted V-shaped notch .Zflattheloweredge thereof will clear the wedgeshapedprojection 16 in thebottom ofthe notch .definedby the .walls. Hi;- and. i5, after which; the

operatormayswing the correspondin vane or ,flagll in either direction. about the pivot shaft .IB-topermit the correspondingside edge of the .fiagor vane I! to rest upon the wedge shaped projection it while in'the inclined position. Of

course, it-is merely ,necessaryto reverse this procedurewhen. it is necessary to raise one or more of; the fiagsorvanesil, to the upright position.

M odz'fled form of flag or vane structure *Referring to Figuressendx l, there'is shown :a zmodiflcd; form of flag or vane structure embodied in'each of the vanes, each of these modified vanes "being generally designated "at ll.

There are four of these vanes shown in Figure In View of the fact that the varying lengths of'the vanes 11 shown in Figures 1 and '2 will per- :mit a flag disposed inbackof another flag to be :observed from only one side of the signalling device, the modified form of vane i particularly provided to expose .a substantiallygreater portion of ca vane;or flag ll disposed rearwardly'of .:another vane or flag to the-viewof an'operator .or.-repair+-man than is the case inthe type of vaneor flag structure shown-in Figures-l and 2. To this end-the modified form'of vanes or flags H"are each provided with a pairof laterally :spaced diverging slots or notches 25 and '26 in the lowenedge thereof, each of .which is an inverted substantially V-shaped notch.

,-It will-benoted that the notches :25 and '26 ,Whenthe operator raises any one er-more .15 -.ero po iticnedatopposite sidesofxthe longitudinal center of each of the vanes l1 and are shaped to conform to the shape of the wedge-shaped projection It on the standard ll. Also, the slot [9' is alined with the longitudinal center of each vane. Thus, by positioning a pair of the vanes, such as the vanes Ila and llb, in a substantially upright position with the vane Ila having its notch 25 in engagement with the projection l6 and the vane llb' having its notch 26 in engagement with the wedge-shaped projection it, the substantially upright flags Fla and Ilb will then be disposed in slightly staggered relation to each other so that both of the flags may be observed from either side of the si nalling device. Inasmuch as the flags H are of diiferent colors, this will indicate that two different classes of repair-men are required to perform repairs on the machine or that two different classes of repairs are to be made on the machine.

It is thus seen that I have provided a novel signalling device which may be economically constructed from materials which are readily available such as wood, plywood, fiber board or the like, and which signalling device may be operated easily without the possibility of any of the flags or vanes I! or IT which are in the upright position falling to the inclined position shown or injuring either the signalling device or the machine.

It is evident that a signalling device of this character will save considerably in the cost of operating a large plant since the signalling device will indicate that a particular machine is operating improperly and will also indicate the nature of the repairs to be made on the machine so the operator of the machine will not be interrupted when operating the machine or other machines.

Also, when a single operator operates a relatively large number of machines, it may be difficult for the operator to remember the reason why a particular machine is not operating satisfactorily without investigating the same very carefully and it is evident that such a procedure is) unnecessary with the present signalling device.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

Iclaim:

1. An improved signalling device comprising a standard adapted to be mounted on a machine and having a pair of oppositely spaced side walls on the upper end thereof defining a groove, an upwardly extending projection in the bottom of said groove and extending between said side walls, a pivot shaft spaced substantially above said projection and carried by and extending between the spaced side walls, a plurality of substantially rigid flags of varying lengths slidably mounted between said side walls and each being provided with a longitudinally extending slot intermediate the upper and lower ends thereof which is slidably penetrated by the pivot shaft, each of said flags having a plurality of notches in the lower edge thereof each conforming substantially to the shape of said projection in the bottom of the groove in the upper end of said standard, and said flags being of different colors whereby flags may be raised selectively relative to said pivot shaft sufliciently to clear the upper end of said projection and then pivoted about said pivot shaft to assume an inoperative position and any one of said flags may be maintained in the raised position by positioning a selected notch in the lower end of the corresponding flag in engagement with the projection on the bottom of said groove to maintain the flag in the raised position to therebs serve as a signal.

2. An improved signalling device adapted to be mounted on a machine comprising a standard having a pair of oppositely spaced side walls projecting from the upper end thereof and defining a groove therebetween, a projection in the bottom of said groove and extending between said side walls, a pivot shaft spaced substantially above said projection and carried by said side walls, a plurality of vanes disposed between said spaced side walls and each being provided with a longitudinally extending slot therein, said longitudinally extending slot being disposed substantially centrally of each of the vanes with respect to opposite side edges of the vanes, a pair of laterally spaced notches in the lower edge of each of said vanes disposed substantially equidistant from opposite sides of the longitudinal center of each of said vanes, each of said notches in each vane conforming substantially to the shape of the projection in the bottom of said groove in the standard, and said vanes being of different colors, whereby said vanes may normally assume an inclined position with their side edges resting upon the projection on the bottom of said groove and, when desired, as many as two of the vanes may be pivoted about said pivot pin and raised sufliciently so their bottom edges will clear the projection as they are pivoted about the pivot shaft and then the latter vanes may be lowered to position opposite notches in the two vanes in engagement with the projection in the bottom of said groove to thereby cause the two vanes to extend at slight angles with respect to each other and whereby the two raised vanes may be observed from opposite sides of the signalling device.

GEORGE FRANK LEAGUE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,552,920 Glover Sept. 8, 1925 

